Bill Payment Options

There are a number of ways in which you can pay your utility and other bills in Korea. These apply to local Korean bills only and not to bills in other countries. Utilities include electricity, gas and water. You can pay utility bills and your residence tax at a bank or post office. If you pay for the bill at a bank, you can choose one the following methods:

ATM PAYMENTS
At an ATM, just insert your 'check/ATM' card and press on "transfer". Then, enter the amount and bank account number printed on your utility bill. It is possible to make payments from an ATM in a bank not your own, however, your service cost will be higher than if you go to your own bank.

AUTOMATIC BANK PAYMENTS (aka auto-payment)
You can set up automatic bill payments by visiting your local bank branch with your ID and the bills you would like to have paid automatically each month. Your teller will link your account to your bills. Then, all you have to do is be sure you have enough money in your account on the day before the designated payment date each month. (Note that banks often make the transfer the day before the due date of the transfer).
If you speak Korean, you can also call the utility company directly and set up your automatic monthly bill payments by phone. (Note that there are an increasing number of English speakers in the offices of utility companies.)

BANK - BILL-PAYING MACHINE
At most bank branches you can find a special bill-paying machine called a "공과금납부기". These machines are usually only available in Korean, but the security guard or bank staff will usually be happy to assist you. They are generally located inside the bank so are available during bank business hours only. Also, the machines usually take only those giro bill where you see OCR printed.

To use the machine, you insert your check card and your paper bill. The machine will scan the bill. Once you confirm, the amount will be immediately and automatically withdrawn from your account. Please note that you can only use the special bill-paying machines at your own bank.

BANK - TELLER
If you use cash, you can pay your bills at any branch of any bank in Korea. You can also go to your own branch and have the payment deducted from your account.

ONLINE
If you have already registered for online banking with your bank (this must be done in person) and downloaded your digital certificate (you'll want to do that on a USB that you can use on different computers), you can then log in to your bank's website. Click on "domestic transfer" and transfer the amount due to one of the (usual) 5 or 6 banks listed on your utility bill. If you are using a bank that is listed, send it to that bank's account which will save you user fee costs; but if your bank is not there, send the payment to any of those listed.

When you make online payments, there is a box where you can put a message to the recipient where you may want to put your name, apartment number, bill payer's number, or other information that can identify you with the payment. Note, though, that for the standard gas or electricity bills, you do not need to type anything in the memo box because the utility company's bank account info that you find on your bill is a unique account number, just for you. However, you can type in the bill payer's number (납부자번호), as found on your bill, if you would like.

With the online method, you can pay your utility bills in Korea from anywhere in the world. A number of services will also email your bill to you.

POST OFFICE
You can pay your local bills in cash at any post office in Korea.

CONVENIENCE STORES
It is also possible to pay some bills, including KEPCO (Electricity) at a number of 24-hour convenience stores including LG25, Family Mart, 7-Eleven, Ministop, etc.

ADVANCE PAYMENTS
It is possible to arrange to pay your utility bill in advance. On your bill you will see a telephone number that you can call - you may need a Korean speaker's help however. Also, some bank tellers may be willing to help, particularly at your branch and if you are making automatic bill pyaments.

K4E Editor: Korea4Expats.com tries to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and complete, so should you notice any errors or omissions in the content above please contact us at info@korea4expats.com.